Privacy Policy — Sarah Skin MD

This Privacy Policy explains what information sarahskinmd.com (the "Site") collects from visitors, how it is used and safeguarded, and the choices and rights you have over it. The Site is published by Vane Dermatology, Inc. ("Sarah Skin MD," "we," "us," or "our"). By using the Site, you agree to the practices described below. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Site.

Introduction

We have built this Site on a foundation of trust — independence in our reviews, transparency in our credentials, and clarity in how we treat the people who read us. The same principles govern how we handle your data. We collect only what we need to answer your questions and run the Site well, we do not sell it, and we tell you plainly what happens to it.

Two points are worth stating at the outset. First, this Site is an editorial and informational property, not a patient portal, an electronic health record, or a secure medical messaging system. Second, this Site is not the place to send protected health information — see the Health Information section below for what that means for you.

Information We Collect

We collect two broad categories of information: information you choose to give us, and information that is gathered automatically when you visit.

Information you provide. When you use the contact form or otherwise reach out to us, we collect the details you submit. Typically this includes:

Your name;
Your email address;
Your phone number, if you provide one;
The message or inquiry you write, including any details you choose to include in it.

Please send only what is necessary to route and respond to your request. The contact form is not a secure channel, so it is not the place for sensitive personal details — and never for protected health information.

Information collected automatically. Like nearly every website, ours records certain technical information when you visit. This may include:

Usage data — the pages you view, the links you follow, the date and time of your visit, and how long you stay;
Device and connection data — your browser type and version, operating system, screen size, approximate region, and a truncated or anonymized IP address;
Cookies and similar technologies — small files or identifiers used to keep the Site working and to understand, in aggregate, how it is used.

How We Use Information

We use the information described above for a limited set of legitimate purposes:

To respond to your inquiries — to read, route, and reply to messages you send through the contact form or by email;
To respond and follow up — to reply to your message and any product suggestions or questions you send;
To operate and improve the Site — to keep it secure and functioning, to understand which articles and reviews are useful, and to make the reading experience better;
To meet legal and ethical obligations — to comply with applicable law, respond to lawful requests, enforce our terms, and protect the rights, safety, and property of our readers, our patients, and ourselves.

We do not use information submitted through the Site to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you, and we do not use it for unrelated marketing without your consent.

Cookies & Analytics

Cookies are small text files placed on your device. We use a small number of them: essential cookies that allow the Site to load and display correctly, and analytics cookies or identifiers that help us understand traffic patterns in aggregate.

We aim to use privacy-respecting analytics — measurement that focuses on aggregate trends rather than building detailed profiles of individuals, with IP addresses anonymized or truncated wherever the tooling allows. We do not run third-party advertising networks on this Site, and we do not permit advertisers to track you across the web from these pages.

You remain in control. Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies through their settings, and you can usually opt out of non-essential analytics through any consent banner we present or through browser-level controls such as "Do Not Track" or Global Privacy Control signals, which we honor where required by law. Blocking essential cookies may affect how parts of the Site function.

Sharing & Third Parties

We do not sell your personal information. We do not rent it, and we do not trade it for value. Editorial independence is the spine of this Site, and the same instinct extends to your data: it is not a commodity.

We share information only in narrow, necessary circumstances:

Service providers. We use a limited number of vetted vendors — for example, website hosting, form delivery, email, and analytics — who process information solely on our behalf, under contract, and only to provide their service to us. They are not permitted to use it for their own purposes.
Legal and protective reasons. We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or where we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect against fraud or security threats, or defend our legal rights.
Business transfers. If the Site or its publisher is ever involved in a merger, acquisition, or transfer of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy.

Data Security

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the information we hold against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access — including encryption of data in transit (HTTPS), access controls that limit who can view submissions, and routine review of the vendors we rely on. No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is perfectly secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. Because the contact form is a general-purpose channel and not an encrypted medical portal, please treat it accordingly and avoid sending sensitive information through it.

Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have specific rights over your personal information. We honor these rights for all readers where we reasonably can, regardless of location.

California residents (CCPA/CPRA). If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what categories of personal information we collect and the purposes for which we use it; to request access to, or deletion of, the personal information we hold about you; to correct inaccurate information; and to opt out of any "sale" or "sharing" of personal information as those terms are defined under California law. We do not sell or share your personal information in that sense. You also have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising any of these rights. To make a request, contact us using the details in the Contact section; we will verify your request before acting on it.

EU and UK residents (GDPR / UK GDPR). If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to request its correction or deletion, to restrict or object to certain processing, and to data portability. Where our processing relies on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out beforehand. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. We process personal data under the lawful bases of consent, our legitimate interests in operating the Site, and compliance with legal obligations, as applicable.

To exercise any of these rights — access, deletion, correction, or opt-out — please write to us at the address below. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law.

Health Information note

Please do not send medical details here

This Site is not a patient portal and is not a secure or HIPAA-protected channel. Do not send protected health information (PHI) — such as descriptions of symptoms, diagnoses, photographs of a skin condition, medications, or insurance details — through the contact form or by general email.

The content on this Site is educational and reflects professional opinion; it is not a diagnosis or individualized medical advice, and submitting a message does not create a doctor–patient relationship. Please do not send personal health information through the Site. If you need to discuss a medical matter or share clinical information, consult a board-certified dermatologist in person.

Children's Privacy

This Site is intended for adults and is written for a mature audience. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our tools, or the law. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date shown at the top of this page. Material changes will be highlighted where appropriate. We encourage you to review this page periodically; your continued use of the Site after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

Contact

If you have questions about this Policy, wish to exercise any of your privacy rights, or want to raise a concern about how your information is handled, please reach out:

Email: privacy@sarahskinmd.com
Online: via our contact page, Beverly Hills, California

For general inquiries, please use the contact page. To read more about our editorial standards and affiliate disclosures, see our Disclaimer and Methodology.

A note on this demonstration: The email address, postal address, and phone number above are illustrative placeholders provided to demonstrate the design. They should be replaced with verified, current contact details — and this Policy reviewed by qualified counsel — before publishing.